SC Villa president Ben Misagga says he will not sack coach Shafiq Bisaso for now.
Misagga, who had issued a one-match ultimatum to Bisaso, that failure to beat Lweza in the Uganda Premier League (UPL) last Saturday would mark the end of his reign, has backtracked.
“Bisaso is still SC Villa coach; at least until he annoys me,” Misagga told The Observer in an interview on Monday.
Immediately after the final whistle of the SC Villa-Lweza game that ended two-all, where the latter fought back from two goals down, Misagga was hurriedly driven out of Nakivubo stadium. It had been assumed he was rushing out to sign Shafiq Bisaso’s ‘death sentence.’
Bisaso, who became Villa’s seventh coach under Misagga’s tenure since 2014, replaced Deo Sserwadda last October. However, the only reason the media has not already written Bisaso’s epitaph, is because a section of Villa fans in the stadium last Saturday carried placards in support of their coach.
They also protested against Misagga’s intention of elevating Wasswa Bbosa from associate coach to head coach.
But Misagga said: “My decision to let Bisaso continue as our coach, is because I realized on Saturday, that the coach was short on defenders. Without Paul Mbowa, for example, he could only do much.”
Yet, Misagga was quick to emphasize that Bisaso cannot afford to sit on his laurels. Coaches are not groomed at Villa, and the team has to win all the time. Misagga was stern in insisting that Bisaso has got to put the house in order, otherwise, he will not hesitate to wield the axe if he annoys him.
Furthermore, Misagga explained that uproar reflected badly on the club’s sponsors, StarTimes. And as a leader, he had to act in a manner that restored calm and protected the sponsors.
But at the same time, Misagga noted, results are crucial to keep sponsors. And with Villa already knocked out of the Uganda Cup by a lowly Kiboga side and three successive draws, the league title ambitions have been derailed too, which is unacceptable for a club that set out to win the domestic double this season.
“We spend at least Shs 30 million on players’ salaries every month. We are not a corporate team, but a community team, that depends on a few people’s pockets. That makes winning cups domestically important in order for us to attract sponsors and get back into the lucrative stages of continental football.”
With six coaches already sacked, then Misagga’s approach does not seem to be working. But he disagrees. He says that people sweep their homes everyday to ensure they are cleaner than they were.
And when he took office, winning Villa its first league title since 2004 was priority number one. It remains, even as they play Sadolin Paints FC in the league this Sunday at Nakivubo stadium.
jovi@observer.ug